US outland applicants' thread :)

[blupassion06]

soo I just spent the past like forever reading through all of these pages!! YAY ME! SO much amazing information out there! Thanks to everyone for taking their time and posting here...it really helps everyone out. I usually don't post but i'm always on here ...just reading as I wait to hear back from CIC.
I read earlier on some pages ppl talking about being able to visit Canada, go back to US and returning to Canada will 'restart' your 6 month visit as a US citizen..and was baffled bcz of what I was told just last Friday as I went through customs at the Ottawa airport. After being sent to the 'dark side' as I like to call it..the lady basically said you can only stay 6 months total in one year. So no matter how many times you go back to the states..the amt of time you spent in canada rolls over if you visit back w/in the same year. I've been traveling (mainly flying, drove across once) back and forth every month since September 2011..and JUST NOW they decided to give me a visitor record (which only happened bcz I got super emotional since I was told that I couldn't be granted entry into Canada). Every time I went through customs I put every thing fwd when asked i.e "I'm visiting my husband, he's a canadian citizen we got married last year. I have to go back every month for dental appts as I have braces." SOOooo IDK if this whole year every time I went through customs I just go lucky?!?
Has anyone else been told that the 6 months doesn't restart every time you leave and come back??? sigh but I'm in Canada for now! so not really complaining just trying to get the facts straight.

Thanks all! this is such a great support group! <3

 

[parker24]

soo I just spent the past like forever reading through all of these pages!! YAY ME! SO much amazing information out there! Thanks to everyone for taking their time and posting here...it really helps everyone out. I usually don't post but i'm always on here ...just reading as I wait to hear back from CIC.
I read earlier on some pages ppl talking about being able to visit Canada, go back to US and returning to Canada will 'restart' your 6 month visit as a US citizen..and was baffled bcz of what I was told just last Friday as I went through customs at the Ottawa airport. After being sent to the 'dark side' as I like to call it..the lady basically said you can only stay 6 months total in one year. So no matter how many times you go back to the states..the amt of time you spent in canada rolls over if you visit back w/in the same year. I've been traveling (mainly flying, drove across once) back and forth every month since September 2011..and JUST NOW they decided to give me a visitor record (which only happened bcz I got super emotional since I was told that I couldn't be granted entry into Canada). Every time I went through customs I put every thing fwd when asked i.e "I'm visiting my husband, he's a canadian citizen we got married last year. I have to go back every month for dental appts as I have braces." SOOooo IDK if this whole year every time I went through customs I just go lucky?!?
Has anyone else been told that the 6 months doesn't restart every time you leave and come back??? sigh but I'm in Canada for now! so not really complaining just trying to get the facts straight.

Thanks all! this is such a great support group! <3

That's just odd... I've never heard of that! But I have a friend who works the border said it's always 6 months for US citizens. What the woman told you is just ODD........

 

[Sunshine87]

I've never heard of the 6 months out of the year thing. I was under the impression that as soon as you exit the country and re-enter, time resets. She was either ill-informed or messing with you? ???

Has anyone whose file has been transferred recently have an update on ECAS? All mine says is Application received.. but I've seen a lot of people who are saying medicals received also. This just confirms my fear that our medicals haven't been received.

 

[LeisaP]

That is ODD!! I have never heard that. I was always under the impression 6 months resets when u leave and reenter. Which is how it goes for most countries that have that rule.

I think she was misinformed.

 

[blupassion06]

I’m not sure if she was messing with me. It sure didn’t seem that way..she was the senior officer at the airport, and the only reason she let me stay according to her was bcz she was the ‘boss’. She basically said since for the past year I’ve been technically living in Canada (which is true) except for a week each month..I’ve already used up my 6 months…which makes sense BUT like everyone else here I was under the impression that it just restarts every time you enter the country….annnywhoo! She was generous enough to give me a visitor record until October after glancing at my application.

My application was also in Buffalo, we got an email in April from them stating that “ completed the initial assessment of your application, and expect to finalize your application without a personal interview” since thn no update. And I have no idea where my app is…I mentioned that to the customs lady and asked her if she could tell me where my application was and she said I shouldn’t worry about that…It’s in the final stages. Sooo now I’m just praying that I get something from them before October…as who knows if they’ll approve my request for an extension.
Sunshine87..I know that in my ECAS the medicals rcvd showed up way after the app was sent to Buffalo..so I’m sure that they have it, just haven’t updated it online.

 

[Tullysgirl]

JUST....ONE....MORE....FORM......I ....CAN.....DO....IT........

WOW! 5 of the 6 completed! YAHOO!! Medical on Monday. Copies of everything being made for the next EON.....

QUESTION-I thought I read on here that they may ask for my spouse's Passport. Beings he's the sponsor and a Canadian by birth, would they?

 

[computergeek]

QUESTION-I thought I read on here that they may ask for my spouse's Passport. Beings he's the sponsor and a Canadian by birth, would they?

No. The copy of his passport (for identification and proof of citizenship) is sufficient - they won't need his actual passport.

 

[amaranth]

I'm not sure if she was messing with me. It sure didn't seem that way..she was the senior officer at the airport, and the only reason she let me stay according to her was bcz she was the ‘boss'. She basically said since for the past year I've been technically living in Canada (which is true) except for a week each month..I've already used up my 6 months...which makes sense BUT like everyone else here I was under the impression that it just restarts every time you enter the country....annnywhoo! She was generous enough to give me a visitor record until October after glancing at my application.

I had one officer who gave me the line about the whole "you can only stay a total of 6 months in a year" (the ONLY time in over 6 years of ridiculously frequent border crossings that I was ever sent to secondary). He claimed he was generously letting me go without a visitor record because he was in a good mood. As I was leaving the building, another officer -- ironically the same one who would handle my landing just over a year later! -- Told me the first officer was full of hot air, and that the rule is up to 6 months in one go. The only danger of crossing the border to reset the clock is getting an officer having a bad day or a power trip who feels like making things miserable for everyone, but that can happen to someone entering for the first time too... It's a crap shoot every time! :

 

[Tullysgirl]

I had one officer who gave me the line about the whole "you can only stay a total of 6 months in a year" (the ONLY time in over 6 years of ridiculously frequent border crossings that I was ever sent to secondary). He claimed he was generously letting me go without a visitor record because he was in a good mood. As I was leaving the building, another officer -- ironically the same one who would handle my landing just over a year later! -- Told me the first officer was full of hot air, and that the rule is up to 6 months in one go. The only danger of crossing the border to reset the clock is getting an officer having a bad day or a power trip who feels like making things miserable for everyone, but that can happen to someone entering for the first time too... It's a crap shoot every time! :

I wonder what would happen if one showed up armed with a printout of their own policy showing it's a 6 month allowance every time you enter, not accumulated. :-*

 

[blupassion06]

I wonder what would happen if one showed up armed with a printout of their own policy showing it's a 6 month allowance every time you enter, not accumulated. :-*

lol with my luck they'll still find a way around the printout! lmao
Good luck on getting everything finalized for your app!!

 

[Tullysgirl]

lol with my luck they'll still find a way around the printout! lmao
Good luck on getting everything finalized for your app!!

Thanks! Medical on Monday...(biting nails) it's almost done!! Now, to print those blasted IMs....

 

[avocadosandcheese]

Hi all! I am LANDED! I wanted to write a little bit about what it was like for me since I had so many questions before I went through it...

We crossed by car at Peace Arch Park in Blaine, WA/Surrey,BC. When we drove through we said I was there to land. He asked us some questions about our drive to Los Angeles, how long we were gone, what we bought, any alcohol or tobacco. He told us to park and go to the building. We went in and waited about 10-15 minutes. We were called up and we presented our passports, and i gave my COPR, two copies of my B4/B4A, and the photos I took of my jewelry and my piece of paper with where i wanted my PR card sent to. He didn't want the paper with the address as he said he already had it on my documents. He didn't want the photos, he didn't even look at them. He didn't look in the car at all, as he said that they do that mostly when there are expensive things, but since my most expensive thing was the wedding ring i was wearing, he could already see that. We waited maybe 10-15 more minutes while he entered stuff in the computer, then i signed the pages of the COPR and B4/B4A. He told us a bit about the time requirements and how to get SIN and medical and we were on our way. From the time we entered the line-up at the border in the car, to when we drove away it was almost exactly an hour.

He said the was thankful that we were prepared, so I thank everyone on the forum for helping us be ready!

 

[OhCanadiana]

Congratulations, avocadosandcheese!

Sounds like it went very smoothly

 

[apstone]

Hey all, I have a question about how you were notified of sponsor approval and the following stages. CPC-M received my application in on 4/23, and on the CIC website it shows that they are processing applications sent in by 4/30. I thought they notified you vial mail, or is it email? I have been eagerly checking the mail each day for a few weeks now, but there's nothing.

How were you guys informed that your file was transferred? Is there a procedure to call CIC after the date listed on the site for an update?

Thanks

 

[parker24]

Hey all, I have a question about how you were notified of sponsor approval and the following stages. CPC-M received my application in on 4/23, and on the CIC website it shows that they are processing applications sent in by 4/30. I thought they notified you vial mail, or is it email? I have been eagerly checking the mail each day for a few weeks now, but there's nothing.

How were you guys informed that your file was transferred? Is there a procedure to call CIC after the date listed on the site for an update?

Thanks

I was informed my mail from CIC-O. Since it's after the date on the website, just call, get to a live agent and tell them that! They usually can look onto their computers and if you've been approved, most will tell you. Worst comes to worse, all they will tell you is that a letter is on the way via the mail.